The US Justice Department has corrected an earlier statement that suggested several government agencies, including the US Senate, Federal Reserve and NASA, had been hacked by a Chinese state-sponsored group, clarifying that they were targeted but not necessarily breached.
The correction relates to QTFY, a Chinese hacking group identified by US authorities on Wednesday as part of an operation to seize internet domains allegedly used in a years-long cyberespionage campaign.
The Justice Department’s initial statement described the Senate, Federal Reserve, NASA and other agencies as victims of the hackers. An updated version released on Friday instead said they were “among the targets of QTFY”.
The department said the change was made because the August 26 release “described all agencies as victims whereas the government’s affidavit made clear that all were targeted but only some were compromised”.
The distinction significantly narrows the number of confirmed breaches in the alleged Chinese cyber campaign.
US AGENCIES TARGETED SINCE 2018
According to an FBI affidavit released with the original announcement, QTFY has targeted US federal networks since at least 2018.
The targets included NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Department of Energy, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health and the US Senate.
But being targeted did not always result in a successful breach.
The FBI said an attempted intrusion into NASA’s systems was unsuccessful because the agency had patched the software targeted by the hackers.
The affidavit, however, alleged successful “computer intrusions” in September 2024 involving three Department of Energy national laboratories, the NIH, an HHS agency and a US security-device manufacturer. These entities were described as “victims”.
SOME ATTACKS SUCCEEDED, OTHERS FAILED
A separate cybersecurity advisory issued on Wednesday by the FBI, National Security Agency and US Cyber Command detailed other attempts linked to the campaign.
It cited successful data theft from unnamed defence contractors, financial institutions and universities in May 2024.
The advisory also said attempts to access the networks of the US Senate and a US hospital in March 2026 were unsuccessful.
The Justice Department said the changes to its statement were made to ensure it “accurately reflects the government’s allegations” contained in the affidavit supporting the domain seizures.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to the latest correction. Responding to the US announcement earlier this week, an embassy spokesperson accused Washington of using cybersecurity issues to “smear or discredit China”.
China also accused the US of overstretching the concept of national security and said it would protect the “legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies”.
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